so often, i would like to shine up the exterior of my black roadster without having to go through with washing and drying. just kind of dry cleaning it and wiping of the dirt and dry dust. i know this is not the ideal and the best thing to do especially in chicago winters is too wash it every week, but still time can get a little short and i was wondering if there is a good suggestion out there on how to do a quick dry clean? i do not want to use something which could scratch the paint, but maybe an old t shirt or something could work?
please let me know your thoughts!

 

Many folks swear by the California Duster though I have not used one so cannot speak from experience.

 

thanks...never heard of it though

 

Google !!!

 

of course, the answer to everything. i will order one, seems like a good option. anyone else use one?

 

Unless you just have light dust, like from a day or two of exposure, you should stick with a real washing.

But with light dust, provided the temperature is at least 50 degrees or so, you can use a mist & wipe product like Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer or similar from Mother's, Zaino, Adam's, etc. I do this all the time here in SoCal because we can go 9 months at a time without rain. I may go a month without washing my daily driver but will do a quick detail spray wipe down 3 or 4 times a week. Using quality microfiber towels you reduce the chance of inflicting swirls to almost nil. Don't believe me? Read THIS post I made over at the Meguiar's discussion forum almost a year ago.

If you've got a clear day but your temperatures more of a mid-west-normal-for-February 35 degrees, then a California duster is about your only choice for removing light dust. But a very light touch is critical with this type of duster, never even come close to "scubbing" the paint with one.

 

I use mine all of the time. Though ONLY for light dust on a reasonably clean car. "Dry cleaning" as you say will be very hard on your car. Especially black.

Sorry.

 

good advice thanks

 

is there anything i should ABSIOLUTELTY NOT USE?

 

Never, ever, EVER dry wipe the car with a towel. The Cali duster is OK with a light touch because it will pick up the light dust, but a dry wipe with any cloth will tend to just push the dust/dirt around. A t-shirt is not a good idea either because it has no nap and therefore noplace for the dust/dirt to go but pulled against the paint. Microfiber is the absolute best choice, and use a few to wipe the car down. Always use a good quick detail spray to add that lubricity and lift the dust/dirt into the microfiber towel. A light touch is always preferable to a heavy touch, and never "scrub" the paint.

 

I use a California car duster for day-to-day dusting and Meguairs Quik Detailer to shine it back up, in-between washes.

Don'ts....NEVER use a towel to just wipe it...Ouch! Seen people doing that before, and it is just painful to watch.

 

Just like cleaning sun glasses, never rub them while dry. They WILL scratch!

 

I suppose I should have mentioned this UQD is in use all of the time in my garage.

Great advice.

 

If you car is "clean" but just needs a quick wipe down, Meguiars Quik Detailer or Ultimate Quik Detailer works well.

 

I have used a california car duster for years, with great success, but its use is extremely limited, like others have pointed out. I use mine when there is a few days of light dust on it and it works great. The other time I use mine is right after a few coats of wax/polish. On a black car, it seems you can never get all the 'dust' from the wax off, but a CCD does a great job.

Just my opinion, take it for what its worth.

 

Oh sorry I forgot to mention, what ever you do:

DO NOT USE A CALIFORNIA CAR DUSTER ON A HOT OR REMOTELY WARM VEHICLE.

Whatever they treat the material with to attract and hold the dust will leave horrible streaks on your car. But if it is cool - absolutely no problem.

 

just bought a ccd at walmart for ten bucks! well i guess i will give it a try in a couple days. the instructions say to leave it on newspaper to air out for 48 hours, i already have seen some wax residue on the paper so i guess its good i did not go straight from the store to the car. i just hope it will help get some of the rain and snow residue that is left after the car has been in the heated garage for the night.

 

I love the California duster for years. They are great for dust. I buy one every year even though they say you can wash them. Make sure the car is in the shade.

 

I have a California Duster, used it on most of my cars, not my black crossfire, I used it once, thought I saw scratches afterwords. Maybe the scratches were already there before I dusted it and I only noticed them afterwords. I like the instant detail products with a stack of microfiber cloths, but I only use it for smudges, fingerprints, that kind of thing.

I'm just dyin' to do the whole car with instant detail when dusty, but so far no. If you wash the car with distilled water like I do, you don't have to dry it, that really cuts down on the time it takes. You just need a pump or pressure device of some kind. I use a pressure washer with a 5 gallon hopper I made. I use distilled water in the soap bucket too. I get it at a place out here for 79 cents a gallon (Smart and Final) If it's too cold, of course, this solution is a non starter. Good luck!